In a unanimous voice vote at the August 8 meeting, three members of the Colorado City Metropolitan District Board of Directors approved two resolutions for inclusion on the November 2017 Pueblo County general election ballot. Resolution 6-2017 would, if eventually approved by the voters, establish an excise tax of 3.2% on the production and distribution of recreational marijuana grown in two greenhouses within the metropolitan district. Resolution 7-2017 would exempt the excise tax collected from the requirements of TABOR. According to district manager David Valdez, marijuana excise tax revenue would be placed in the general fund with budgetary review conducted annually.

The lack of a designated use for the funds made the only public speaker on the issue, Dave Houghton, uncomfortable with the action. ˇ§The resolution does not identify any specific use for taxes collected under the issue but rather provides that CCMD (Colorado City Metropolitan District) can spend the money any way they see fit,ˇ¨ said Houghton. Houghton cautioned the board that communities have not been receptive to ˇ§open endedˇ¨ use of tax dollars but have preferred to have their intended use identified. Houghton expressed his opposition to the resolution exempting the excise tax from the requirements of TABOR.

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